CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble Professional™, the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble, released the findings of its national “Digital Usage in the Cleaning Industry” survey today, which queried 405 cleaning industry professionals and decision makers. The survey’s findings revealed that cleaning industry managers look to vendors and partners to develop and offer valuable, business-relevant content. In fact, when asked about the types of media used for work-related reasons, 65 percent of respondents say they have used training videos and 34 percent of respondents have used product review videos, while the same proportion (34 percent) say they have used archived webinars. Of the nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of people who have used training videos, 63 percent say they prefer working with vendors or suppliers who provide them.

On the heels of this survey, P&G Professional also announced the launch of its newly redesigned website, www.pgpro.com , with simplified navigation and improved access to online training videos and materials, industry-relevant webinars, cleaning tips and product information, among other tools to help businesses thrive. The improved website also features quick links to frequently used Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and “Buy it Now” capabilities for product purchasing. Plus, the site is mobile-ready and accessible on any device, at any time.

“P&G Professional is thrilled to introduce its redesigned website to serve as a resource for the professional cleaning industry. We took all the valuable customer feedback received in recent years and used that to guide us in the website redesign,” said Renee Buchanan, Communications Manager, P&G Professional. “Findings from our recent survey further confirmed the importance and types of educational training materials that many cleaning managers are looking for to boost productivity and efficiency in their day-to-day operations, so we made sure those offerings are easy to locate and access on our site as well.”

Customers Prefer Working with Vendors Offering Training Videos

Receiving online training tools is important to industry professionals. Of the two-thirds (65 percent) of survey respondents who use training videos for work-related reasons:
• 71 percent say they have shared video training content with colleagues.
• 71 percent report that video training is well received in their organization or company.
• 63 percent say that they prefer working with vendors or suppliers who provide training videos.
• 69 percent wish that a greater variety of vendor/supplier training videos were available.
• Of the 35 percent who do not currently use training videos, four in 10 would consider using them as part of employee training on cleaning processes and procedures.

“While in-person support still remains the preferred training method of cleaning industry managers, training videos are widely used, and have even greater audience potential if the content is available online,” said Kevin Wenzel, Associate Marketing Director, P&G Professional. “We strive to provide ongoing efficient and effective solutions for businesses. Our online resources, along with our customer service phone support, are helping customers get the information they need quickly and easily so they can keep their business moving forward without waiting for a representative to provide on-site support.”

Additional Survey Highlights:

• Online Communication: While e-mail communication (43 percent) slightly edges out phone (39 percent) and in-person (42 percent) in terms of their top two preferred methods of communication with vendors, suppliers, or sales, respondents’ attitudes about digital communication with them suggest openness to more online communication. Additionally, when it comes to communicating with these people, 81 percent are open to receiving electronic documents, 64 percent say it is more efficient to communicate online, and 61 percent would be open to more online/digital communication options.
• Business Apps: Of the 55 percent of cleaning industry managers who have used a Smartphone or tablet with internet for professional purposes, only four in 10 (39 percent) have used a business-sponsored app to help them do their job better or more efficiently. Of those who have not used vendor/supplier provided apps, more than half (53 percent) say they would be interested in an app to receive customer service or to troubleshoot a problem.
• Corporate Websites/Facebook: Three quarters (74 percent) of respondents report their company has a website, and half (52 percent) say their company has a Facebook page.
• Social Media in Business: Three quarters (74 percent) of cleaning operations managers report using social media for professional reasons.
o The most sought-after information on social media sites is company information (64 percent), brand/product information/specs (55 percent) and industry tips/information (50 percent).
• Future Outlook: Looking to the future of the cleaning industry, nine in 10 of those surveyed believe online ordering will become increasingly common, eight in 10 believe digital communication with vendors or suppliers will become increasingly common and seven in 10 believe video training will become more common, while about the same proportion (68 percent) believe that training will be conducted mostly online.

In line with survey respondents’ future outlooks, P&G Professional’s redesigned website is meeting the needs of cleaning industry managers and staff with its business-relevant information and training tools. P&G Professional will continue to develop timely, sought after information through pgpro.com, while still providing traditional methods of training and printed materials through in-person consultations and product demos.

About P&G Professional
P&G Professional® is the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble, serving the foodservice, building cleaning and maintenance, hospitality and convenience stores industries. P&G Professional offers complete solutions utilizing its parent company's scale, trusted brands and strengths in market and consumer understanding. P&G Professional features such brands as Dawn®, Mr. Clean®, Comet®, Spic and Span®, Bounty®, Safeguard®, Febreze®, Swiffer®, Tide®, and its own brand, P&G Pro Line®. Please visit www.pgpro.com for the latest information about P&G Professional's solutions.

About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves approximately 4.6 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 75 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.